Analysis of Ayatollah Sobhani's Critical Confrontation With the Method of Muʿtazila Interpretation

One of the methods in understanding the Qur'an is the method of interpretation. Although this method is used in both the semantic and hermeneutic approaches, there are serious differences between the two. Islamic thinkers and commentators who follow the semantic approach do not face the same method of interpretation. Some view it as a general rejection and some as a maximum acceptance of this method. Of course, some also use the moderate method in using it in interpreting and understanding the Qur'an. The Muʿtazila have used the method of interpretation extensively in both theological and interpretive discussions. But the Ash'arites and Imamiyah criticized their approach. Among contemporary Shiite theologians, Ayatollah Jafar Sobhani, in addition to independent discussions in the field of interpretation, also considers the approach of other Islamic thinkers and analyzes their views with a perspective analysis. One of these encounters is with the Muʿtazila and their approach in the field of interpretation. The main finding of the research is that the Ayatollah Jafar Sobhani, while accepting the principle of the method of interpretation, but considers its excess as one of the harms in the field of religious understanding. In this research, in a descriptive-analytical method, we will point out the necessity and position of interpretation in them and follow their encounter with Muʿtazila interpretation